September is National Recovery Month in Maine 
Your Guide to This Year’s Local & Virtual Events

September is officially National Recovery Month, which is a national day to celebrate the gifts of recovery. There will be many events to celebrate National Recovery Month in Maine. The observance is geared toward educating Americans about substance abuse, addiction and mental health treatment options. The goal of National Recovery Month is to illuminate the myriad of treatment options available to individuals that empower them to build healthy, rewarding lives in recovery. The day reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to an individual’s health and overall well being. If you are in need of recovery related resources or services, contact us. Pine Tree Recovery Center offers a world-class medical detox program and intensive outpatient treatment program to help individuals find freedom from addiction and build meaningful lives in recovery.

This year’s National Recovery Month theme is “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.” This theme reminds people of the importance of peer, family and community support and sends the message that recovery doesn’t just impact the individual, it affects our society as a whole In celebration of National Recovery Month in Maine, there will be numerous virtual, local and national events. 

2021’s National Recovery Month in Maine

Events Celebrating National Recovery Month in Maine:

1st Annual Recovery Remembrance Walk

Saturday Sept. 18 at 10am | Start at Crooked River Counseling | Learn More Here

This walk will spread a message of hope, acceptance and recovery. Following the walk there will be closing remarks along with a purple powder salute. Food will be served. Free to attend.

5K Race for Recovery

Sept. 19 | Bass Park in Bangor, Maine. | $20 | Register Here

Wellspring’s 6th Annual 5K Race for Recovery will take place Sept. 19 at Bass Park in Bangor, Maine. Wellspring is a nonprofit organization with more than 50 years of service helping individuals from across Maine who seek help for addiction and/or co-occurring mental health needs. This year the Director of Maine’s Opioid Response, Gordon Smith, will attend to talk about his work, as well as serve as the starter for the race. This is a terrific way to celebrate recovery, show support, reduce stigma, and offer living proof that recovery is real. Walkers and runners are welcome. Registration is $20/person. Groups of 3-5 are $40. Course Length is 5K. Signs are welcome! Think: “We support Recovery!” or “Walking In memory of….” Themes might include: “Superheros for Recovery!” or “Recovery: Boldly Going Where Many Have Gone Before!”

Drive-In for Recovery in Bangor, Maine

Thursday Sept. 23 | Gates open at 6pm; Speaker at 7pm; Movie at 7:30pm | $10 | Buy Ticket Here

The Bangor Area Recovery Network (BARN) and the Bangor Drive-In have joined forces for a fun event to celebrate recovery. Join other people in recovery for a recovery speaker, followed by a movie at the drive-in.

Recover Out Loud Featuring a Watch Party/Live-Stream Concert by Macklemore

Sept. 30 | 5 to 10pm | Mill Park in Augusta, Maine | Learn More Here

Produced by iHeart Radio and Mobilize Recovery, Recovery Out Loud is an outdoor concert in Mill Park in Augusta Maine to celebrate recovery. There will be live concert performances by North Wood Outlaws, The Real Young Swagg, Treelock and more. Plus, a watch party for a Las Vegas live-streamed concert by recovery-advocate and rap-superstar Macklemore. Food vendors, recovery resource tables and entertainment will all take place in the park.

Virtual Events:

3-Part Virtual Event Series, “Reunite, Reconnect in Recovery”, With News Anchor Brandon Lee

Virtual | Tuesday Sept. 7, 14 & 28 at 8pm EST | Watch Here

Community Bridges, Inc. will host a 3-part Facebook Live event series on Tuesday nights in September exploring multiple topics pertaining to addiction and recovery. The events will be moderated by Arizona Family Channel 3 news anchor Brandon Lee.

Speakers Will Include:

• Sept. 7 – Stephanie Siete, Public Information Officer for Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
• Sept. 14 – Ashley Thompson, who will speak about Snapchat’s effect on the drug market
• Sept. 28 – Speakers on the topic of “Clean living: How Healthy eating, physical activity and creative hobbies aid in recovery.”

Five Day Kundalini Meditation Challenge for Recovery

Virtual | Sept. 7 -11 from 1-12:15pm EST | Live on Facebook Here

Super Health will host 12 minutes of a Kundalini meditation for five days. The meditation, called Kirtan Kriya, is an interactive, multi-sensory experience. It is effective at bringing an overall balance to the brain and rewiring the nervous system. Additionally, Kirtan Kriya has been the subject of multiple studies with impressive findings linked to stress relief, reversing memory loss, easing depression, decreasing inflammatory genes while increasing healthy ones, and alleviating symptoms of PTSD.

National Recovery Month’s Kick-Off Event

Virtual | Sept. 9 from 3 to 5pm EST. | Register Here

The 2021 National Recovery Month theme, “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community” reminds people in recovery and those who support them, that recovery belongs to all of us. We are all called to end gatekeeping and welcome everyone to recovery by lowering barriers to recovery support, creating inclusive spaces and programs, and broadening our understanding of what recovery means for people with different experiences. Speakers will share their expression of recovery and celebrate the extraordinary impact recovery community members, families, friends and community partners have had in their communities and our nation.

Healthy Sexuality in Recovery, a Live Online Webinar Series

Virtual | Fridays Sept. 10 & 17 from 3:30 to 6:30pm EST | $90 regular; $45 for student, intern or retiree | Register Here 

In this workshop Mary Minten, PhD, MFT, CST, LCADC will explore healthy sexuality from diverse perspectives (differently abled, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation/configuration, age, cultural differences, relationship structures, body differences, and more). The seminar will discuss some of the underlying principles and concepts of healthy sexuality and how they relate to an individual’s recovery and overall wellbeing.

From Mary: “We will consider how sexual and erotic experiences can be healing as well as how to support communication, consent, relationship skill building, and how to have sober pleasure/sex so we can help clients develop or continue their growth toward healthy sexual connection. We’ll also discuss how people in recovery may have masked – or even as a result of use developed – sexual health problems and how to help clients with these concerns – whether temporary or permanent. For many clients sexual health will be a critical part of their treatment and relapse prevention and we will review some of the research related to this topic. And we’ll look at exercises to use with the client, and discuss how to combine the exercises with therapeutic techniques such as motivational interviewing and exploring existential choice to help our clients set sexual health treatment goals as a part of recovery.”

The webinar is approved for six continuing education units through the National Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium, among others.

Educational Seminar for Professionals on Addressing Burnout in the Addiction Recovery and Mental Health Fields

Virtual | Sept. 3 from 11:30am to 1:30pm EST | Register Here

At this virtual continuing education seminar, participants will reflect on the impact of uncertainty, explore the human response to acute and chronic stress, identify stress and burnout in professionals and learn to apply three evidence-based strategies to increase resilience and manage chronic occupational stress during uncertainty.

The Seminar Will Feature Two Primary Presenters:

• Melissa Piasecki, M.D., the Executive Associate Dean and Professor of Psychiatry at University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
• Heather Haslem, MS, NBC-HWC, RYT, a qualified Mindful-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher who received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Nevada, Reno, in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies.

“Recover Yourself” Virtual Workshop

Virtual | Sept. 14 or Sept. 21 or Sept. 28 10am to 1pm EST | $30 | Register Here  

Burnout and fatigue exist as a possibility for each of us. Frustration and feelings of lack exist in every person no matter who they are. These are the reasons this workshop will focus on recovering ourselves. Participants will stop “recovering from” and start “recovering to” who they really are. Participants will learn techniques to quickly recognize and identify areas where they put on blinders and are reacting, rather than making choices they personally endorse. Adding awareness to these areas will unveil a unique set of tools to face challenges in life and inspire others to do the same.

A Serious Look at Rule 62

Virtual | Sept 24 from 4 to 5:30EST | Watch Here

This online event will bring out the lighter side of recovery by using Alcoholics Anonymous’ Rule 62:  do not take yourself too seriously while you continue to take life and recovery seriously. The event will be a chance for those in recovery to share anecdotes, jokes and personal stories that remind us that recovery is, among other things, the opportunity to enjoy ourselves. Participants will learn tools for maintaining balance in recovery.

Recovery Speaker Jam

Virtual | Sept. 22 from 8 to 10pm EST | Watch Here

Virtual Speaker Jam will feature the history of National Recovery Month, recovery stories from several guest speakers and a raffle for all attendees.

Friday Frenzy Speaker Jam | Multiple Pathways to Recovery

Virtual | Every Friday in September | 8 to 9:30pm EST | On Zoom Here

Shining Light Peer Services will be hosting a live zoom speaker series every Friday in September which will celebrate and explore multiple pathways to recovery. The line up includes speakers who will talk about family recovery, hard reduction recovery, abstinence-based recovery, spiritual recovery and more.

Recovery Happens Art Show

Virtual | All Throughout September | Online Here

All month the Voices of Recovery San Mateo will be showcasing the creative talent in the recovery community by hosting its annual Recovery Happens Art Show virtually. The art show will be hosted online all through September.

Facebook Pop-Up Group to Promote Discussion on Recovery

On Facebook | All Throughout September | Find the Group Here

Confidant Health is hosting a pop-up group throughout the month of September of Facebook to promote encouraging conversations between people in recovery, their friends, families and professionals in the addiction treatment and mental health fields. The group is “for anyone who has been touched by substance use, addiction, or overdose. Whether you are in recovery or actively using substances, or are the extended family, parents, children, or friend of someone dealing with addiction or in recovery, this group is for you.”

Virtual Recovery Resources Fair

Virtual | All Through September | Find the Fair Here

Voices of Recovery San Mateo County is hosting on online recovery resources fair throughout the month of September.

Seek Recovery

National Recovery Month in Maine is a testament to the joy and healing possible in recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and has not yet found the joys of recovery, there is hope. Pine Tree Recovery Center offers evidence-based, comprehensive addiction treatment programs. Our professional, compassionate Treatment Advisors are available 24/7 to answer your questions and help you craft a strategic plan for recovery. Reach out today to learn more.